Hats off to the residents and trustees who packed the Village Hall in Kings Point for a second meeting on the 2011-2012 budget.
For nearly three hours the trustees attempted to answer sometimes heated questions from Kings Point residents who, for the most part, are less than happy with the news that taxes, already among the highest in the nation would be going up once again.
The same meeting could have taken place in towns and villages throughout the county. For the most part people like the level of services that they are receiving and they are not ready to give anything up. And although the trustees had found some ways to cut expenses, other costs increases are fixed an out of their control.
Village of Kings Point Trustee Ron Horowitz hit the nail on the head: “Everybody loves the police. Everybody loves the way the highway department takes care of the snow. The one thing is, nobody wants to pay the increase.”
Under the new budget, village residents will see an increase of $3.07 per $100 assessed value. Village of Kings Point Mayor Michael Kalnick explained that the trustees had no control over unfunded state mandates such as increased contributions to the state pension fund and binding arbitration awards.
But this meant little to residents on a fixed income. “My taxes are going to up $1400, not $600,” said one resident. “I would like to retire one day, but I can’t.”
For the trustees it was a long and at times frustrating night. They found themselves defending the local police and improvements such as the installation of traffic cameras that are generally popular.
But, the way we see it, this meeting was democracy in action. We applaud the residents who gave up an evening to question their government and the trustees who took the time to patiently address their questions.
A Blank Slate Media Editorial
